They walk past a group of dwarves who are selling lights. They are showing children how they catch light with the beautiful rainbows that are glowing threw large crystals. The colors are dispersed into jars which are attached to glowing tubes that flow with glorious colors once they separated and lead down into a light bulb. When the bulbs are filled they are plucked off, as if they were ripe for picking and packaged to sell. No humans have ever been able to do this process successfully. An array of clocks also lined their shops walls. There was a vast assortment of small electronic items some of which were toys. Lex turns to watch as they pass, while Laura and Alex ignore this act as if they have seen it a hundred times before.
There were beads of different colors in the next shop and the smell of fresh bread filled the air. They walk up to a small convenience store which seems to have a little of everything.
"The food here is good.” Laura looks at Lex. “Do you eat?”
"I am not hungry now.” Lex replies to her.
"Alex, what shall you eat?” Laura turns to look at her son in her arms.
"Bacon.” Alex points to the bacon on the counter.
"Ok you have to eat something else besides bacon. How about some magic string beans?”
"Ok momma,” Alex says. Lex stands behind them looking patiently impatient. He starts to look nervous as the sun continues to set.
"What is wrong?” Laura asks him.
"Not long now,” he tells her.
"No, it won't be long we will be ready in a minute,” she smiles.
It seems his warning was mistaken. They leave the store and start back into the town square heading towards her house. As the last sliver of light disappears behind the cities tall fortress walls a terrible noise starts off in the distance. It is first ignored and thought to be the sound of bugs as the night falls, but as it grows louder and louder people start to look around. Laura looks up towards the sky.
"Momma, what's that sound?” Alex asks her.
"I do not know honey,” she replies to him and wipes the goose bumps that are forming on her arm. Lex stops and stares up also. Just then something shoots up over the walls in the dimly lit night sky and swoops down to grab one of the citizens. The man is carried up about twenty feet into the air. The giant winged monster looks at the man for a moment. The man seems to be in shock and doesn't make a sound. Then the monster opens its mouth like a snake to reveal these long sharp teeth that flood his mouth. He screams that terrible noise they heard for so long off in the distance and before the man himself can yell in fright the monster takes a bite out of his throat ripping out his vocal cords trickling blood onto the ground below. The people stood there in fright and all began to panic at what seemed like slow motion. Everyone went running in opposite directions. While this is happening the thing finished off the man by separating him limb from limb.
"Run towards the hull!” Laura screams to Lex as she grasps Alex tighter and turns him away trying to shield his eyes from the terror that had just began. The beast let out another piercing scream and what seemed like hundreds more shot up over the walls. Right and left people were grabbed and picked off one by one. A bloody mess started to engulf the streets. Laura holding Alex and Lex ran through the doors to the hull as other members were shutting the giant doors and latching them shut with large metal bars. The screams could be heard from outside and the cries of terror seen as the once clean window turned blood washed and clumpy. Hand prints and fist marks streaked down the window where citizens tried to plead their way inside. There was pounding on the door and the cries of people continued along with that terrible screaming sound the monsters made and the snapping and tearing sound the bodies made being ripped apart. Laura covered Alex's eyes. Just then Teresa walked up to her side. Lex takes a quick look at her and lowers his head as if trying to hide himself behind Laura.
"Miss, you said I could help you in avenging my husband's death. I think it is that time now.”
"What can you do?” Laura asks Teresa.
"I can fight; my family is from a long line of warriors. I have been trained as much as any man would have and possibly more. I promise I won't get in the way because I'm a woman,” Teresa replies.
"Well I already told you that I would allow you to avenge his death and I am not going to argue with you on being a woman since I am one also, but I will not give slack for you or me. Keep up or get left behind,” Laura says.
"Thank you.” Teresa smiles with joy although you can see the tears that she is hiding. “Thank you so much.”
Laura took her pass and entered into the master cell with her son, Lex and Teresa. That is where the council was gathering. Alex began to cry.
"Baby, everything will be alright. But you need to listen to me. You must stay quiet,” Laura said to him. With that Alex sniffled up his tears and nodded in understanding to his mother. They looked around and noticed everyone trying to pile into the elevator out in the lobby as quickly as possible a large crowd was gathered near it. The council had their own private elevator to use. “Let us all take the elevator down we must make it to the waterway in time for a ship.”